Steitz told “UpFront with Mike Gousha” he's the better fit for the redrawn Racine-area 21st Senate District, which is much more Republican than it once was.

Van Wangaard, R-Racine, held the district before the lines were redrawn and lost in a recall election in 2012 that was spurred by his vote for Gov. Scott Walker’s collective bargaining changes.

Steitz said the changes in the district boundaries allow for a more conservative candidate to win.

"I think Van was the perfect candidate for the 48 percent Republican district that the 21st used to be; this is now almost a 60 percent Republican district," Steitz said on the program, produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com.

According to Steitz, the district is a prime opportunity for the state GOP to pick up seats in the Senate. He said more conservatives in the state Legislature will allow his party to further goals under Gov. Scott Walker.

"We obviously have a reform-minded governor, but time and time again our ideas get killed or watered down in the Senate," Steitz said. "I think having one or two more solid conservative voices in the Senate is going to make a huge different in Governor Walker’s second term."

Steitz said states that have eliminated income taxes have outpaced the national average in job growth and economic recovery, voicing an interest in seeing similar changes in Wisconsin.

Steitz expressed support for an increase in state sales tax to defray the costs of the change, but anticipated increasing the tax to “high single digits,” lower than double-digit estimates needed to wholly replace funding. He said the change would be enabled by a reduction in spending, as well as increased economic activity.

"I don’t think you need to look at how you replace the revenue," Steitz said. "The problem with government is not that we don’t have enough money coming in, it’s that we have too much money going out."

-- Former state Sen. Gary George says his return to politics in the 4th CD primary against incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Moore is spurred by a desire to improve Milwaukee.

According to George, high levels of unemployment in the city contribute to violence. He accused city leaders of lacking a sense of urgency in responding to situations like the 18 shootings that occurred during a recent cease-fire weekend.

"Milwaukee is falling apart," George said. "We have all sorts of problems, and jobs solve so many of those problems."

Pointing to recent changes in Washington and Colorado, George said reform of drug laws and incarceration practices would also help reduce the number of incarcerated Hispanic and African-American men.

"Look at the statistics. … This is the worst place in the nation to raise a black child, according to the Pew Foundation," George said, adding Milwaukee has the highest black incarceration rate in the state with the highest rate in the U.S., which he said has the highest overall incarceration rate in the world.

"Where is the sense of waste, of waste of humanity?" George asked.

After more than two decades in the state Senate, George was removed in a recall election in 2003 and pleaded guilty in a kickback scheme in 2004. He said he believes his previous record of bipartisan work will factor more heavily with voters, who he said are more concerned with future issues.

"People are looking towards the future," George said.

-- Kenosha County’s position between Chicago and Milwaukee makes it a logical choice for many businesses, according to Todd Battle of the Kenosha Area Business Alliance.

Battle also credited Wisconsin’s business climate with enticing businesses like Amazon, Meijer, and Uline to build facilities in the southeast corner of the state. He said the economic activity in the last 12 to 18 months has been particularly robust, with the area attracting $7.5 million in development money and adding 3,500 new jobs since December 2013.

"We feel really good about the mix," Battle said. "There’s a range of positions being created that really create some opportunities for lots of different people in our community."

Some of the new growth includes businesses crossing the state line from Illinois, a result of the Kenosha area development community working with Chicago real estate brokers to generate leads, Battle said.

"We’ve had a good run of working with Illinois-based businesses to site operations in southeast Wisconsin," Battle said.

While critics have said the growth comes from job poaching that increases barriers between communities, Battle said his organization is making sure Kenosha is taking advantage of the opportunities presented.

"This Midwest region is going to win or lose together," Battle said. "The Milwaukee-Chicago corridor is an economic corridor, and we want to see that strengthened."